Down to Gundalia
by SemiJa
Summary: Second anniversary of Bakugan city is closing in, and humans, gundalians, neathians and vestals all together are focused on preparations for the celebration, unaware of what begins to form in the depths of Gundalia. Rated M for possible violent scenes and strong language.
1. Chapter 1

**I haven't written for years, and oh boy, is it hard.**  
 **Not a fan of long introductions so i'll make it as short as possible.**  
 **Chapters won't come out regularly, no way it will ever happen.**  
 **I'm not a native english speaker. I may end up making dumb mistakes because of this. Feel free to point them all out.**  
 **Actually point out all the mistakes, i hate them.**  
 **I appreciate constructive criticism, and will refuse to respond to reasonless hate.**

Barodius knew better than to wait for things to happen on their own. The very first moment he woke up in an unfamiliar place he started looking for a way back. The last thing he could recall was reaching for the Sacred Orb in an attempt to gain its power, but something told him he wasn't just lying unconscious all this time.

Fighting an overwhelming headache he struggled to keep moving, irritation rising with every second of him not being at his best. He absolutely HATED weakness, and the fact he could barely walk was filling him with self-disgust. His vision was unclear, but enough for him to tell he was somewhere on Gundalia. The surroundings were dark even for the Gundalian undergrounds, as only few crystals here and there would light up the blackness. Once he touched the wall, he could feel it's warm and wet, so he was at least two levels under the urban area of Gundalia. Not a good sign.

Then sudden realisation hit him. He was surrounded by silence. By now, Dharak would usually at least comment on their situation. Hell, he could even know what happened to them!

But the bakugan was nowhere to be found.

-Dharak! - The emperor called out, the only answer being echo of his own words.

Barodius quickly ran through his pockets, already knowing he will not find his partner in there, but still clinging to the hope that maybe Dharak is just unconscious. The hope was soon lost, as all he found was some pocket dust. Losing Dharak was something he could not afford - he was too powerful to give up on. They could battle together in perfect sync, something Barodius never managed to achieve with any other bakugan. They were supposed to take over the universe together. Without Dharak, Barodius could take years of careful planning and throw them out of the window. No, he definitely needed his partner back.

The emperor began to backtrack to where he came from, looking for his bakugan, slowly getting more and more conscious. And with consciousness, fear came along.

He lost Dharak. His people have turned back on him, and those who haven't are already dead. His plan was very risky, and could either let him rule the universe in case of succeding, or bring him all the way down in case of a failure. And he did fail. He lost to that bloody human kid, Kuso.

The very moment he recalled that name, his blood began to boil. Who in the world was that boy to just ruin his all plans like it was nothing?! Why, of all people, was it a mere kid who brought him down? He was humiliated by that loss, humiliated to the point where his people would all just riot against him if they found out. Gundalians were all about power, and they would only respect a mighty ruler. He could not possibly be respected after that loss. He needed to make sure noone finds out.

Eventually he got back to where he woke up, and began looking around. Tons of rocks, remains of crystals, but no bakugan in the line of sight. The layer of pebbles on the ground wasn't enough to hide a bakugan, so Barodius did not even bother digging through it - he was already dirty enough, and despite everything he still was an emperor. He needed to present himself well.

Barodius needed to think, he needed a plan, a way out of the position he was in. He leaned on the nearest rock, trying to collect his thoughts.

He was all alone, in a part of Gundalia he had never been to before, judging by the scenery the closest guess being the mines district. He was too exhausted to teleport, barely even standing and definitely not capable of getting any food, if any food could be found in those mines anyway. Anger built inside him. He, the powerful emperor, the man who managed to conquer Neathia, planet with a godlike power protecting it, was going to die from starvation or dehydration like some stray dog!

He needed to get out of here, to find help, to find some of his people; he was an emperor, after all. It was their duty to help him. And he needed to act fast, before the rumors about his loss will spread.

-Get yourself together - The emperor said to himself, trying to break the dreadful silence surrounding him.

Once again he forced himself on his legs, and proceeded to move on. Many Gundalian mines were kilometres long, but that fact caused the miners to begin settling inside them - one underground or another didn't make much difference. If he was lucky and determined enough, he would eventually stumble upon someone.

With that plan in his mind, he began to press forward again.


	2. Chapter 2

The past two years were incredibly busy for Jesse. Ever since Barodius was taken down by the young Battle Brawler, Dan, and Nurzak became the Prime Minister, Gundalia has begun undergoing a huge change. The idea was for the country to no longer be power-hungry and brutal, but peaceful and fair like Earth. Temporarily disturbed by an assault of chaos bakugan, Gundalia's change was definitely big enough to be noted by Ambassador Serena, and that meant something.

During these years he was way too busy to bother himself with battling, rarely even finding enough time to read some poetry in peace. Jesse gave up on acting years ago, mostly because on Gundalia it was still considered a humiliating job that only the worst sort of people would ever pick up. Given his family's high status, he simply couldn't go and become an actor. However, the passion still remained, and now that things have settled down, and Gundalia accepted its new lifestyle, he decided he would give acting another shot during the Bakugan city's second anniversary celebration.

The Bakugan city was built soon after the interspace was destroyed by Mag Mel and his chaos bakugan. It grew very shortly into a city big enough to get attention from bakugans inhabiting New Vestroia. Jesse heard many of them moved to earth to live with humans.

He arrived on Earth in his human form. Gundalians were now welcome on human planet, but they always preferred to stay disguised to avoid standing out. His guess was it was the same for Neathians, as everyone in the city looked human.

He only had a decent idea where was he headed, but after looking around for a bit he found the right place. It was one of the tall buildings surrounding the main square, with informations about the upcoming play displayed next to the entrance.

 _Five, four, three more steps remaining._

Jesse pushed the door open.

 _One last step, one last corridor._

He headed forward through a long corridor looking for any kind of directions on the posters displayed on the wall.

 _I leave and go straight home._

Impact pushed him back a few steps as he bumped into some kid. He was so absorbed with the posters he did not notice them walking down the hallway. He looked down, and the child was barely reaching his chest. And, from the way it rubbed its forehead, it bumped into one of the buttons of his jacket. Jesse found himself unable to identify the kid's gender because of the short hair and unusual clothing choice.

The kid's face was a bit red, and twisted in a nasty expression. He was worried if it wasn't hurt.

-My apologies, child, it appears I got a bit distracted. Are you alright? - he apologised bowing a little, causing the kid's face to get even redder and the expression to twist a little more, now into clear rage.

-ARE YOU SERIOUS?! - The kid yelled, grabbing his coat. - I'M FUCKIN' TWENTY!

Jesse flinched, too shocked to react. Out of everything he did not expect the other to start yelling. Meanwhile the grip on his coat got stronger.

-CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE? YOU BETTER MAKE SURE NOT TO EVER BUMP INTO ME AGAIN, GOT IT?! - This time he could say for sure, the person he bumped into was female. Her voice got a little high-pitched when she screamed, though he could say she considered herself very threatening. Finally getting out of the initial shock, he grabbed the woman's hand and forced it away from his coat.

-If you please could refrain from touching me, it would be greatly appreciated. - he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. - I believe there is no reason to be upset. It's not like I'm the only guilty here. You could have just avoided me.

-Who do you think you are for me to get out of your way?! - she asked, a bit calmer, but still clearly annoyed, her arms crossed and teeth clenched. - I can bump into whoever I want.

-Then don't blame other people if you do it on purpose.

- **I** can bump into whoever I want. But noone is allowed to bump into me. - she was so confident with her words it was unbelievable. How can one spout out something like this and be convinced it's true?

-That's hilarious. You really believe this. - he stated the obvious, a bit amused. She must have sensed this, as she frowned, putting on the same ugly expression she had on her face right after bumping into him. A mix of anger, disbelief and grudge.

Then, as if hit by a magic spell, her expression changed drastically, a mischievous smile forming on her face.

-Oh, I see. You must be here for the casting, huh? I mean, if you're into this kind of things, I guess... - she shrugged dramatically.

-What are you trying to say? - he asked with suspicion.

-I'm saying, you're just gonna humiliate yourself. Boy, I do hope you don't really expect to get in. Because otherwise you will end up so disappointed, it'd be painful to watch even for me! - she made an overdramatised sad expression.

-Excuse me?

-I'm sayin', give up. You're not going to make it. - she passed next to him, as he stood there, doing his best not to burst with anger. - Unless you really want to compromise yourself. Because if that's the case... Well, feel free to go ahead!

Jesse stood in the corridor for a while after the woman left, calming himself down. He hadn't met anyone who'd upset him so much in a long while. Eventually, Plitheon would get out of his pocket, trying to ease the tension.

-She does not know how you play. She only said that to piss you off, Jesse. - the bakugan said.

-I am aware of this, Plitheon. That was the reason why didn't I just lower my level to match hers, and argue. - the gundalian started moving again. - I just hope she was not applying for a role. I would prefer not to meet her again. Ever.


End file.
